Did I ever tell you that I like the challenge that is fishing Lake Storey? Well, I do, and this outing was a hit before I ever made a cast. A cool Fall morning, a dark and empty lot, a longer backup to reach the water at the ramp courtesy of the annual drawdown, a lifetime of memories and the anticipation of new ones all meant that I was in my outdoor element.
6:50am Cool sunrise pic of first catch, could use a larger bass and some sort of outdoor catalog model but the truth is what it is.
Stats
Date: October 2, 2017
Location: Lake Storey – Knox County, IL
Time: 6:35am-1:50pm
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy to windy
Air Temp: 64-78F
Water Temp: 68-69F
Totals: 16 bass, 1 crappie
Lures:
Stanley Vibra Shaft spinnerbait (blue glimmer) – 7 bass
Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait (chrome/blue back or Tennessee shad) – 6 bass
Terminator Spinnerbait (firetiger) – 2 bass
Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (black) – 1 bass
Top 5 Weight: 6-2 (1-11,1-3,1-2,1-1,1-1)
7:13am 12.5″ 1-1 Buzzbait
8:29am 13″ 1-1 “Blue Glimmer” spinnerbait (more on this bait below)
Notes & Nonsense
Lake of Luxury – Prior to this trip and a mid-September outing with my brother, Brent, at “the lake”, I had spent nearly my entire fishing year chasing the bass via Northerner boots or oars. It would be interesting to know how many miles I’ve racked up walking or rowing in my pursuit and maybe I don’t really want to know. But for Lake Storey outings I’m rocking it bass pro style, foot controlled trolling motor, depthfinder and pedestal seat in Dad’s 30-year old Bass Tracker. Still getting the job done and truly wouldn’t trade it for one of those fancy rigs that my fishing mags seem to automatically open to reveal each month and carry a price tag exceeding my annual salary. Nope, for my style and destinations I’m good feeding the kids and stuff like that instead.
What we call “The Big Boat” (pic circa 1987)
Lucky Break – A Terminator spinnerbait in the firetiger pattern was in my starting lineup and landed two of my first three bass. As I lifted the second one into the boat a metallic sort of flash caught my eye but I didn’t give it much thought as I focused on getting a grip on a short but feisty fish. However, once I gripped a lip it became apparent that the flash was the top blade of the tandem spinnerbait busting loose and landing in the drink. Unfortunate, perhaps, but forced my hand on an idea I had in the works and a lure I had in the tacklebag.
9:32am Top Bass 15″ 1-11 Mann’s Baby 1- crankbait
9:46am 13″ 1-2 Blue Glimmer spinnerbait
Old School – The substitute bait for the busted member of my starting lineup was a lure that I simply refer to as “The Blue Glimmer.” Me and this model of spinnerbait, technically named a 3/8 oz. Stanley “Rainbow” Glitter Vibra Shaft Spinnerbait, go back well over 20 years. But even this creature of habit strays from favorite baits as the years pass and others enter the fray. Indeed, the last bass caught on one of these spinnerbaits came back on 11/1/2008, from good old Lake Storey. I could write a book on the adventures with this bait, but I won’t today, perhaps some other time when revisiting what I call my “Legendary Lures.” Part of the fun of the day’s success with the Blue Glimmer also resides in the fact that it is no longer in production and I’ve had two of these stashed unopen in my tackle, just for a day like this one I guess.
Legendary Lure “The Blue Glimmer”
Healthy Bass – Although I failed to catch anything particularly large, I was again impressed with the look of the Lake Storey bass. All were in great shape, solid balance in body plan between length and girth, just an appealing bunch. Even a few that bore the marks of some rough days in a lake shared with other, larger top of the line predators (muskie and walleye) seemed no worse for wear and obviously still showed an interest in putting the hurt on my lures. With all of those predators, I suspect that Lake Storey can be one nasty neighborhood. Kudos to those who have managed the resource through the years and thanks for the annual drawdown to get things moving as there’s nowhere to hide.
10:49am 13″ 1-3 Blue Glimmer spinnerbait
No trophies and no toothy beasts this time around but had a blast hitting spots that are old friends. Even call them by name when recalling fish stories with my dad and my brother: Chilly Willy Point, Cannon Hill, Freak’s Point, The Dump, Most Fished Tree…
Can I catch more bass elsewhere? Sure.
Can I catch bigger bass elsewhere? Probably.
If I had a do over for this day, would I change my destination? Absolutely not.
Lake Storey may not be some folks’ cup of tea but for me it’s more about comfort, challenge and home than what ends up in the log and blog. Talk to you later. Troy